


Through Your Eyes

by Welsh_Woman



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alpha Derek, Alternate Hale Fire, Canon Divergence, Emissary Stiles Stilinski, M/M, Mates Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Spark Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-01 11:09:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13293573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welsh_Woman/pseuds/Welsh_Woman
Summary: Stiles Stilinski has just finished his Emissary training and is about to enter the Bonding Ceremonies for the first time.This is the fifth Bonding Ceremony for Derek Hale, all without a single Emissary to show for it, and he's not really expecting much out of this one, either.Fate, as it were, has plans for both men.





	1. Different Sides

It goes without saying that Stiles was a little nervous.

Fine, maybe a lot nervous.

 _Okay_ , maybe he was teetering on the edge of _completely fucking terrified_ , but given how  _important_  today was, could you really blame him?!?

Today marked an  _exact year_ , almost to the  _hour_ , since Stiles completed his Emissary training with Deaton.

Today was exactly a year since his Spark manifested at his seventeenth birthday party by making all the lights go disco and multicolored.

 _Today_  was the first time Stiles would find himself in the Bonding Ceremony that all Emissaries went through after they finished training to find a potential Pack to counsel and follow.

It was the culmination of an entire year and his lifelong dream ever since Claudia Stilinski had taken his face in her hands and whispered, “Don’t be scared, darling. You have my gift, and that means I will never leave you.”

So,  _yeah_ , it was kind of  _a big deal_.

“Stiles, you really need to-”

“If that sentence ends with ‘relax’ or 'breathe’ or any of the five thousand other platitudes that I’ve been hearing all day,  _I swear to God_ …” Stiles cuts himself off when he can’t think of anything before dropping onto his bed. He growls at the ceiling, “I don’t know  _what_  I’ll do, but you can be sure that it will be _painful_  and _lasting_ , mark my words!”

Scott McCall, Stiles’ best friend and current pain in his ass, scrunched his nose at the threat, but wisely kept his mouth shut as Stiles continued his internal battle with his stomach, arguing that puking all over his potential Alpha’s shoes would be a  _terrible_  first impression.

Dropping his head between his knees, Stiles started a mental list of all the protective skills he knew, going alphabetically so that he would have to concentrate more, and by the time he made it to 'Ash, Wolfsbane’ his heart no longer felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

The wait, however, was too long for Scott, and he nearly set the whole house of cards tumbling when he opened his mouth to say, “You know, if this is freaking you out this bad, you don’t have to do this. Didn’t Deaton say something about this whole thing being some sort of formality, anyway?”

Stiles breathed deep, knowing that Scott is only trying to help, but he’s still angry that Scott’s making this seem so much smaller than it is because the boy doesn’t listen unless it has to do with Allison’s dimples or Isaac’s cheekbones.

“No, Scott, Deaton didn’t say that this was a formality, he said that Emissaries did this to  _formally be welcomed_  to the Circle. I only told you this about a  _hundred_  times in the past week _**alone**_.”

Scott muttered something along the lines of Stiles not reminding him that often, before saying in a slightly louder voice, “Okay, so this is kind of a big deal-”

“’Kind of’ a big deal? ‘ ** _Kind of_** ’ a big deal, Scotty? This is  _one of the most important moments **of my life**_! This will not only show that I am a competent Emissary, but will also bind me to a Pack for the foreseeable future! What if I screw up and get them all killed?!? What if I never get Chosen at all? Deaton had to fight with me every step of the way, what if that means that I’m not really Emissary material? What if I become one of those cautionary tales? The one that Mentors tell all their Potentials; ‘make sure you study hard and follow every guide, otherwise you’ll end up like that Stilinski kid!’”

Stiles knew he was starting to get hysterical, but he couldn’t really see past the fear that had been boiling in his gut for the past few months, ever since this Ceremony became more of a certainty rather than a possibility.

“And then there’s the bit that really scares me: what if this Alpha makes me move halfway across the globe and I can never come home?!? I’m terrified that I’m going to be whisked away from home and never be allowed back, that the only news I’ll ever hear about you, or Melissa, or  _my dad_  is a letter saying one of you is critically injured, or sick, or even  _dead_!”

Scott looked like he was gearing up for another argument about how Stiles really shouldn’t be going through with this if it’s bothering him so much, but Stiles was more focused on the fact that his father has entered his room with that same expression he’s been wearing for the last couple of days now:

Pride, a whole lot of pride for completing something that had been so hard for him and meant so much, mixed with his own blend of worry that has Stiles moving to embrace his father before he can even give it much thought.

“I’m not leaving, you know that.”

“No, son, if your Alpha ends up needing to move or even is living-”

“If they really  _are_  my Alpha, then they know I’m not leaving you. And since  _you’re_  not moving-”

“Beacon Hills is my home. It’s where I married your mother and where I buried her.” Both Stilinskis took a breath at that, still needing a moment whenever Claudia is brought up.

It had been Claudia Stilinski who passed on her gifts to Stiles, who told him all about her own Bonding with Talia Hale. She said that it had been finding a best friend and sister all on the same day, and it had been Claudia who saw the Potential in Stiles long before his seventeenth birthday.

John continued after a deep breath and a quick swipe of his hands over his face, “You are more than capable of leaving, Stiles, of moving somewhere else. I’ve said more than once that I would be happy if you saw more of the world than the little corner that you’ve lived in your whole life. We have planes and technology for a reason, kid.”

Stiles huffed, the old argument doing a lot more to settle his nerves than the mental categorizing and chatting with Scott had. “Well, who is going to watch your cholesterol if I’m not here to make sure you’re eating right and not sneaking donuts for every meal?”

John snorted out his own amusement as he pulled his son into a hug before gently steering him towards the stairs. “Ignoring that I am a grown man more than capable of taking care of himself, I highly doubt that the deputies, neighbors and  _cashiers_  that you have somehow managed to put under your thumb will let me get away with more than ‘regulated’ snacking. I’m more worried about this Alpha of yours and how they’re going to manage with all your interfering…”

“It’s not  _interfering_ , Dad! It’s  _counseling_!”

“ _Somebody_  is going to need counseling when all of this is said and done, but I’m pretty sure that it’s not the kind you can give!”

Stiles immediately started into a tirade about how much his father’s cholesterol has improved ever since his ‘interfering’, too focused on pointing out how well he’ll help his new Alpha to do more than follow his father out of the house and make their way to the where the Bonding Ceremony will be held.

* * *

Meanwhile, sitting in a hotel room that smelt too much of other people and the invasive funk of sex, Derek Hale was trying very hard to keep from panicking.

This was the fourth Bonding Ceremony he had attended ever since he became an Alpha and the first time he had been in Beacon Hills since leaving more than ten years prior.

He had only been a Beta when he left, eager to see the world and meet other supernaturals, and he hadn’t really expected to do more than feed his wanderlust before coming back to support his older sister Laura when she became Alpha.

Needless to say, all of that changed when he was halfway through his first year of college and was pulled from class to be told that nearly his entire family had been killed in a ‘freak house fire’.

Derek wasn’t really sure how he made it back to his dorm room after that, or what Laura had told his roommate when she had shown up, but he did remember blinking his eyes and finding himself in his bed with his sister pressed all along his side, finally understanding what that gaping feeling in his chest was that had been bothering him all day.

The days following the complete destruction of his entire world were a whirlwind of funeral and hospital preparations. While most of his family had perished amidst the flames, both his uncle Peter and younger sister Cora had managed to only suffer mild injuries before the fire department had arrived, unknowingly breaking the mountain ash barrier that had trapped the rest of the Hale Pack.

It was during this time that Derek first met John Stilinski, a deputy police officer that hadn’t offered empty words or looked at Derek with any kind of pity. The man had simply clapped a hand on his shoulder and swore that he would find whoever set the fire, swearing that they would face the full force of the justice system.

While he had appreciated the man’s words, Derek wasn’t really inclined to stick around to see if there was any truth to them; everywhere he went, someone either just  _had_  to let them know how sorry they were that something like this had happened to such a beloved family. Or they would whisper about how rich the Hales were and, with all the insurance that they received, Derek and Laura were practically millionaires now.

One day, it had all become too much and Derek begged Laura for them to leave, to put all of the memories behind them and leave the scent of ashes to the earth beneath their feet.

Laura had been hesitant, not wanting to move Peter and Cora while they were still healing from the wolfsbane poisoning, but she had also agreed that they needed to leave if they were ever going to continue on with their lives.

The moving had been a long and tiring process; they tried to make it to a new area without angering another Pack or fighting through the rumors that the Hale Pack were marked by Hunters, but they eventually made a home for themselves in New York. It’s a hubbub of traveling and shifting Packs, so no one batted an eye at two new lost souls.

It was also in New York that Derek met Vernon Boyd the Third, who preferred to go by Boyd, and Erica Reyes, a blonde bombshell who said that he’d call her Erica ‘or else’. Derek had known almost without asking that he really didn’t want to find out what ‘or else’ meant…

Spending time with them eased the loneliness that Derek felt whenever Laura went back to Beacon Hill to look in on Peter and Cora; she had tried to have Derek join her whenever she left, but he argued against it so fiercely that she eventually just gave up and only let him know whenever she was leaving.

It was during one of those visits that Derek’s life radically shifted for the second time:

Not one to really go out of his way to meet new people, Derek nonetheless let himself be ‘convinced’ to go out a few times with Erica and Boyd, supposedly to get him to loosen up a bit and maybe get the stick out of his ass (Erica’s words).

They walked down to the bar that they frequently visited (which Derek had thought was a bit stupid, considering that they couldn’t get drunk) but a soft noise, something that Derek would never have heard if he wasn’t a werewolf, had him breaking from his friends and darting down an alleyway.

Isaac Lahey maintained that he had everything under control, that he was just waiting for the feral Alpha that was tearing into him to lower his guard, but Derek had a vivid memory of broken skin too bruised to heal and a throat too torn to even scream to really believe him. He never argued, however, because he could understand remembering something a certain way to keep certain demons from overtaking you…

As it is, Derek acted before he could think about it and stormed into the alleyway with an enraged roar. The next thing he knew, there was an ex-Alpha’s blood on his claws, an overwhelming rush of power flowing through his veins, and his phone was blaring with Laura’s ringtone almost as loudly as his heart had been beating.

Laura had been easy enough to appease; she felt the shifting power and had been terrified that something happened to one of the few family members she had left, so hearing that he was now an Alpha was a lot better than learning that he was  _dead_.

Dealing with Boyd and Erica, on the other hand…

As soon as Derek had Isaac calmed down and called the police to deal with the body, Erica immediately started in on him for running in half-cocked and nearly killing himself because he couldn’t wait for backup. Boyd merely sighed at him and went over to Isaac’s side in an attempt to keep the boy calm.

Derek, still dealing with the influx of power twitching through his limbs and shaking now that the adrenaline rush was over, snapped at Erica with a flash of his new Alpha eyes. It nearly knocked him on his ass when she immediately dipped her head in submission, albeit with a frustrated huff.

“Like anybody  _else_  would be our Alpha!”

That had been four years ago; four years of navigating his new status, of balancing being Alpha of his own Pack while being a Beta to his sister until his uncle and Cora wake from their comas, four years of being rejected again and again by Emissaries at the Bonding Ceremonies.

He almost hadn’t come to this one, certain that the universe was telling him something with the constant disappointment, but Boyd-of all people-had convinced him to try one more time.

The younger man had joined him on one of his runs around the streets of New York, not really trying to talk, just letting his presence say more than his words ever could. It was one of the things that Derek liked best about Boyd; he knew the importance of silence, and never tried to fill it will idle chatter.

It’s not until they make it back to the apartment that the four of them share that Boyd finally spoke.

“The Bonding Ceremonies are coming up.”

Derek grunted in acknowledgement, not really wanting to think about another rejection in a week’s time.

“I haven’t heard you say anything about going this year.”

Another grunt.

“Derek…”

He looked up then, thrown by the tone that Boyd’s voice had taken and more than a little unnerved by the look his Second was giving him when he met the other man’s gaze.

“Look, I know you’re probably thinking that the reason that you’ve not found an Emissary yet is because you’re too ‘broken’ or whatever, but maybe it’s because the right one just hasn’t come around yet?”

Derek opened his mouth to argue, to point out all the reasons he had failed as an Alpha, but Boyd cut off his words with a heavy hand on his shoulder

(Alpha or not, Boyd was really freaking  _strong_.)

“Derek, you took in two kids who had no idea how anyone could care for them, you became an Alpha by defending  _a complete stranger_ , and despite having your own troubles to work through, you’d drop  _everything_ if one of us made even the merest mention of needing anything. If anyone deserves an Emissary, it’s you.”

Boyd didn’t say anything else about it, but his words resounded through Derek’s brain whenever he had a spare moment to think, and he found himself on a plane to Beacon Hills at the end of the week with a promise to Skype Erica every single day he was gone.

Swallowing hard, Derek made a promise to himself that, even if he doesn’t manage to gain an Emissary by the end of these Ceremonies, he would focus more on his Pack and less on himself.

Nodding once, Derek pushed himself to his feet and made his way to the Preserve that the Bonding Ceremonies would be starting in and, hopefully, into a brighter future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted for Sterek Week: Alpha and Emissary


	2. Chosen

Standing outside of the clearing that the Bonding Ceremony is going to take place in, Stiles can’t help but feel a slight bit of his old panic trying to take ahold of him once more.

It was easy to push the fears away with his father’s love and Scott’s cheerfulness chasing the demons back into the dark corners of Stiles’ mind, but…

Now that his father and Scott were no longer with him, as they were relegated to the opening of the Preserve and not allowed to come any further, Stiles could feel his heart starting to kick up again and the old ache that preluded an attack come back. He is just about to try one of his breathing exercises when he suddenly feels a hand land on his shoulder.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Maybe it’s because the way this guy-and the voice makes Stiles think guy, or a rather deeply toned girl-had grabbed his neck, but the action makes the panic dim down to a manageable level. It reminds Stiles of all the times that his father had done the same thing and he takes in the first relieved breath he’s had for the past few hours.

When he turns to thank the man, however, he immediately loses all the breath he had just regained.

As an Emissary, Stiles had the gift to see various werecreatures’ forms as a sort of aura about them, as a way to help differentiate between them; most of the supernatural community was still very secretive, even after the rest of the world’s acceptance, and still were hesitant to admit to the part of them that went bump in the night.

The wolf form in front of him is _beautiful_ , it is a deep, dark color and has a strong bone structure that makes Stiles glad that it was simply a magical representation, even though it looks like the man is merely a Beta and not an Alpha like the rest of the ‘wolves here.

It wasn’t uncommon for Betas to come to a Bonding Ceremony, the need to make sure that the Pack accepted the Emissary almost overriding the need for the Ceremony itself, but it was rare that one came so close to the proceedings…

The wolf brings Stiles’ attention back to the present as it curls up around the man’s body like a shroud of fog, seeming to almost look right back at Stiles the longer he stared, and it takes him a while to realize that the man _was staring right back at him_.

Blinking, Stiles looks behind him to see if there was anything that might’ve caught the man’s gaze, but aside from a few people milling getting things ready, there doesn’t seem to be anyone that might have caught the ‘wolf’s eye.

“It’s you…”

The gasp draws Stiles’ attention once more and if he thought that the man’s wolf form was beautiful, then the only way to describe the man is drop-dead _gorgeous_.

Eyes that seemed to hold every color of the rainbow, a narrow face and body that seemed to almost mimic his wolf side, and full lips that are slightly parted in surprise, showing off a pair of _adorable_ bunny teeth.

The hand that had been holding his shoulder has now migrated to the side of his face, thumb caressing his cheek as its pair comes up to join it, the stranger once again whispering, “It’s _you_ …”

There’s a spark of magic this time, a part of Stiles that rushes forward at that softly uttered entreaty, and it scares him so badly that he jerks away from the gentle fingers on his cheek.

No doubt smelling the misery that has overtaken him, the stranger opens his mouth-to apologize or ask Stiles to come back-face already twisting into an expression of dismay, but Stiles quickly shakes his head before the man can utter a single word.

“It’s not your fault. It’s- It’s mine.” The man’s rather impressive brows furrow and Stiles would’ve probably have made some joke to ease the tension at any other time but all he can do now is keep shaking his head and muttering, “I- I’m sorry, I can’t do this, I can’t-”

He’s about to participate in his very first Bonding Ceremony, there could be an Alpha just a few feet away that’s just _waiting_ for Stiles to become his Emissary, he can’t throw that all away for a pair of pretty eyes and a voice that makes sparks jump from the tips of Stiles’ fingers…

**_“When I first bonded with Talia, it was like finding a long-lost sister and my very best friend, all wrapped up in one. It was the most wonderful feeling in the entire world.”_ **

**_“And what about her, Mama? Were you her sister too?”_ **

**_“Oh, my_ ** _kochanie **, she said that I made an emptiness that she didn’t even know she had disappear. Like finding a family when you didn’t even realize you needed one…”**_

**_“Will I find someone like that some day?”_ **

**_“Oh, I know you will, my little spark. You’ll make someone very happy one day.”_ **

The man’s devastated expression matches the tumult in Stiles’ body, the way the man’s wolf and his spark seem to be reaching out for each other, but that memory of his mother and the way that she spoke of her own Bonding gives Stiles the power to finally turn away.

There is an Alpha waiting for him, someone who _needs_ Stiles, and he can’t let this… _attraction_ stop that from happening.

“I’m sorry.”

A low whine coincides with a lurch in Stiles’ chest and he swallows hard, cursing the desire to be accepted that makes him so easy to sway, the look in a stranger’s eyes that makes him want to say ‘forget it’ to everything he spent _an entire year_ working toward.

“I’m _sorry_.”

Unsure if he’s apologizing to the wolf or himself, Stiles does something that he has never done before when it came to things that surprised or intrigued him:

He runs away.

* * *

Derek watches as the boy practically _bolts_ from him, feeling as through there’s a boulder sinking deeper and deeper into the pit of his stomach the further away the boy gets.

He had been so _sure_ …

While he had been certain that this would be just another year, another disappointment, he had seen a boy who seemed to be having a bit of trouble breathing just as he was entering the clearing and Derek had just… acted without thinking.

It’s something that Laura had done, when Isaac needed to be calmed after a nightmare or when Erica needed a bit of grounding after dealing with some of the jerks that she worked with, but the rush that flew through his body at the first press of skin had nearly knocked him off his feet. It was almost like when he had first received his Alpha powers and it had taken a great deal of restraint to keep from slipping into his Beta form right then and there.

For a few, blissful seconds, Derek thought the boy had felt it too; his eyes lit up like some sort of sun caressed amber, cupid’s bow lips dropped into a moue of surprise as he craned his neck to look behind him, as if there possibly could be anyone else that Derek might be looking at…

Wolf whining at the need of _takeprotectclaim **mine**_ that thrummed through him, Derek had whispered a quiet benediction, a plea and a prayer all in one, and he thought that it would be answered… but then the boy was pulling away, apologizing for something that could be the farthest from the truth and was gone before Derek could even realize.

Gone, with only the phantom warmth of his skin on Derek’s hands to prove the whole thing wasn’t a dream.

Staring at the edge of a clearing that he dreaded entering only a few moments before, Derek has to huff out a laugh at how little the upcoming Ceremony means now…

Now that his Mate has rejected him.

It’s rare, and always something that every Were’ was worried over, but there was a chance that the other half could reject the bond and choose to pursue other prospects.

Derek sighs quietly, fighting down his dismay at the thought that his Mate didn’t give him a chance to suggest a Courtship, or even just get to know one another and see if they could at least be friends.

Trust Beacon Hills to take that last chance of peace from him.

Shaking his head, Derek firmly reminds himself of the promise he made before stepping out of his hotel room. Granted, he never would’ve thought the possibility of meeting his Mate was something he’d have to factor in, but the choice still stood, and he would go through this to make sure he was the Alpha his Pack deserved.

Thankfully, the leader of this group announced that the Ceremony was due to begin, and the following speeches brought Derek back to the here and now.

It was a simple affair; each Alpha and Emissary were to meet with each other, allowing their Spark and Were’ out for a few moments to see if there was some sort of connection, and if so, arrange to meet at a later date to see if they were compatible as a Bonded Pair.

While his own mother had often sung the praises of both her Emissary and the bond they shared, Derek was certain that his own would dim in the face of the connection he had shared with the boy in the clearing.

If he even found his Emissary…

Funnily enough, despite how much he had been antagonizing over it before all of this, the fact that he may once again go through an entire Ceremony without finding an Emissary didn’t bother him as much as never finding the brown-eyed boy again.

Why had he run away?

Had he really not felt the same thing that Derek had?

Was his unfounded loneliness making him see things that weren’t there…?

The thoughts plagued him throughout almost the entirety of the Ceremony; he barely showed his Alpha eyes at the Emissary across from him before they were pulling away with a slight frown and an almost thankful shake of their head before they moved on.

Stumbling around in this state, Derek didn’t realize anything was amiss until a sudden intake of breath and a familiar smell makes him jerk his head up to meet the startled gaze of his amber-eyed boy.

“You…”

“I- I thought you were a Beta…” The boy gasps, his eyes looking like they were in danger of falling out of his head. “I was here to bond with an Alpha, I couldn’t just… just…”

Derek shakes his head, not needing this boy to explain, already loving him for his loyalty to an Alpha that he hadn’t even met yet.

Speaking of which…

Derek shows his Alpha eyes, praying that he was right, that what he was feeling out in that clearing was real, that this boy was _his_ , that he- that he-

Another gasp falls from the boy’s lips and he is the one that reaches out this time, a warmth that feels like a freshly laundered blanket falling over him, the scent of fresh baked bread and turned over earth filling his nose.

“I am yours and you are mine, as the sun chases the moon.” The boy whispers, the honorary words feeling like so much more as those amber eyes spark with an amethyst glow, giving his skin an ethereal sheen. “I, Stiles Stilinski, ask you to be my Alpha, to counsel and follow.”

“And I, Derek Hale, accept your offer and claim you as my Emissary, as the moon follows the sun.” There is an interesting blip in the boy’s-in _Stiles_ ’-heart at his last name, but all Derek can really focus on is the warmth coming from the boy in front of him and the feeling that he’s finally found where he belongs.

At last, at last, _at last_ …

“…You know,” Stiles hums after a few minutes of silence, his body seeming to sway closer and closer to Derek’s with every moment, “I was worried that I would never end up having an Alpha, that I’d end up as some sort of cautionary tale…”

Derek rumbles reassuringly, eager to soothe a fear that his Emissary, his _Mate_ , should never have.

“Well, for all I know, I might still end up without an Alpha; you have yet to meet my dad and Scott-”

“Scott?” Derek feels that sinking feeling from before coming back. What if Scott is part of the reason he pulled away…?

Yet, it seems like Stiles can read his mind, as he’s quickly informing, “My best friend and practically my brother. If you manage to get past my dad threatening you with his gun, then there’s Scott trying to be intimidating when the guy has all the ferocity of a newborn puppy…”

Derek chuckles and gives into the need to scent Stiles, just a little bit, by dragging the back of his hand across his cheek and neck. “If that’s the worst that you can think of, I can’t wait until you meet my Pack.”

“Huh, maybe this whole ‘Emissary’ thing really isn’t for me, after all…”

Before, Derek would’ve taken those words to heart, but now he can practically breathe in the playfulness of Stiles’ entire being as he finally gives in and pulls his Mate close.

“Oh, I’m not letting you get away that easily…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally posted for Sterek Week: Mates


End file.
